


Out of bites and growls

by Quietshade



Category: Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Marvel 616
Genre: Cap_Ironman Fic Exchange Challenge, F/M, M/M, Non-Graphic Violence, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-25
Updated: 2013-01-25
Packaged: 2017-11-26 21:43:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/654705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quietshade/pseuds/Quietshade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a terrorist attack on Times Square the New Avengers do their best to keep things under control.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Out of bites and growls

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kahn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kahn/gifts).



> Lots of thank to tsukinofaerii, this fic wouldn't be the same without her help. Any mistakes are my own.  
> For the prompt: Werewolves! Are they already werewolves? Does a spell turn them into werewolves? Whatever--werewolves!

Steve’s hand slammed the clock a moment after it started beeping. He yawned as he stood from the bed, rubbing his eyes all the way up. Outside it was still dark, the sun barely present with just a few rays of orange light getting through the dark sky of the humid morning. He started his morning routine, doing some warm-up flexion and push-ups. Half an hour later he was running outside, enjoying the cold wind of the New York streets.

By the time he stopped at the bakery, the sun was already up and shining. He greeted the store clerk, and smiled when she gave him his usual order, five sesame bagels, two cinnamon ones and a cup of coffee. An hour after he had left, he was back at the Stark tower holding a warm paper bag.

“Morning, Cap,” Peter greeted, stopping from eating his cereal, as soon as he stepped inside the kitchen. Logan looked up at him uninterested from the kitchen’s table, and sniffed the air before turning back to his morning beer.

“Morning.” He took a cinnamon bagel from the bag and tossed it at Peter.

“Cinnamon bagel! Thanks Cap.” The young man smiled at him before taking a bite from the bagel.

“Where are the others?” It wasn't uncommon for Tony to be absent at breakfast, but usually Luke and Jessica Drew would be at the kitchen by that time.

“Luke is out with his wife. Jessica said she had something to do, and I haven’t seen Tony today. I think he’s still working,” Peter answered and Steve frowned at the last sentence.

Ever since Tony took the Extremis virus, was harder to get him to sleep or rest. It had been hard enough before, but now it was getting downright ridiculous. “I’ll go see what Tony’s up to.”

“Get him to sleep before he goes zombie on us, please.” Peter’s statement would have been funny if it hadn't been a true possibility.

Steve didn't bother checking Tony’s room to see if he was asleep. Instead, he made his way directly to the engineer’s workshop, and wasn't surprised when he found the man working on the PC, doing some changes to the armor’s virtual model. Steve sighed and rubbed his forehead in annoyance. He could tell by his friend’s oil stained clothes, greasy hair and weary look that he had been down there for at least twenty-four hours.

Wanting to surprise Tony he walked toward him as quietly as possible, before taking a cup of coffee from the cup holder inside the paper bag that was still in his arm. He pressed the paper cup to his friend’s cheek and saw Tony closed his eyes in delight as he reached for the beverage.

“You know. I could marry you just for this, Cap,” Tony said as he took a sip from the warmth coffee with a blissful face.

“Me? I thought you wanted to marry the coffee maker upstairs,” he said playfully as he handed the engineer a sesame bagel, before taking a sit on the chair beside his friend.

“That too, but It isn't legal.”

“Marrying me isn't legal either.”

“It isn't legal yet, just give it a few years. I’m sure it will be legal by 2011,” he said confidently. Steve smiled lightly at his friend’s behavior.

“How long have you been down here?”

Tony shrugged. “Don’t know. Some hours.” Steve tried not to be frustrated by Tony’s blatant lie.

“It’s eight in the morning, Tony.”

“Ok, so more hours than I thought I had.”

“You should sleep more.”

Tony shrugged once again. “It’s ok. Extremis rewrote my genetic code making my body more efficient. I need less sleep than the average.”

“You sleep too little,” he insisted. Steve knew what it meant to have an enhanced body. He too had needed less sleep after the serum, but everyone had a breaking point.

“It’s not a big deal. By the way let me show you the last upgrade I made to the armor.” He turned to the keyboard and typed something before a hologram of the armor appeared in front of him. It was a pathetic way to change the subject, but the honest joy in Tony’s eyes made Steve refrain from commenting on the matter.

“Alright. What did you upgrade?” he said with just the slightest hint of frustration. When Tony was about to start explaining, their ID card’s started beeping.

“What now?” Tony asked no one in particular, with a little frown.

“There’s a terrorist bombing on Time Square. I’m on my way,” Jessica’s voice sounded through the speakers. Steve stood from his chair and offered a hand to Tony

“Do you know anything about the enemy?” he asked in a serious tone.

“There are four cloaked figures reported to be using smoke bombs and explosives on the civilians.”

“Fine, we’re on our way.” He looked at Tony, only to see him taking off his t-shirt. His golden under suit was already covering most of his body. Steve wasn't pleased with the idea of taking the tired man with them, but Iron Man always came in handy. Besides, to Steve dismay, Tony was used to fighting in bad shape.

“I’ll see you on the roof, Cap.” He nodded at Tony and ran upstairs to change into his suit.

* * *

Tony adjusted Steve on his right as he eyed the chaos below them. From their position the New York streets looked as if they were filled with lost ants that ran over each other in a frenzy dance. In the center of all the chaos the four terrorists stood; they were surrounded by a circle of shielded policemen and SWAT units, and were constantly throwing what seemed to be smoke bombs and keeping the policemen away with explosives. Tony commanded the Extremis to start a scan on the smoke bombs, looking for anything suspicious about them.

  
**WARNING!**  
Unknown biological structure

Tony frowned at the flashing sign on his screen. A terrorist attack in Time Square with an unknown biological weapon meant things were worse than they first thought.

“Watch out, they're using an unknown biological agent,” he warned the team.

“Crap, there’re too many civilians here,” Luke answered and Tony spotted him aiding some people get to away from a fire, together with Spider-Man.

“Do you think this could be another the Red Zone incident?” Steve voice was tight. He had never really gotten over it.

“Let’s hope it isn't ” He landed near Luke and let go of Steve “I’ll go stop the terrorists, the armor should protect me. You guys help the civilians get away.”

“I’ll go with you,” he heard Logan say as he walked away from the turned car where he had been aiding a man get out of it. Tony nodded in acknowledgement and turned to leave.

“Right, let’s go.”

“Iron Man…” He looked at Steve, who was frowning at him, lips in a thin line.

“What?”

“We need help with a school bus that crashed a block away.” Peter’s voice actually startled Tony, as the brunet appeared beside them upside down hanging of his web-line.

Steve's frown deepened. “Never mind. Let’s go help that bus.” Steve motioned with his head for Peter to follow before running past Luke.

“Come on, Wolverine.” Tony offered him a hand. “Let’s go kick some asses. ” Logan smirked at him before taking his hand.

* * *

“It’s alright kid. Give me your hand,” Steve said sounding as reassuring as he could. The blond preschooler clutched his bear plushy tighter against his chest and sobbed as he stretched his hand for Steve to hold. As soon as the boy was out, he threw his arms around the superhero’s neck, not minding the scale mail that brushed his cheeks. “I got another one, Spider-Woman.” Jessica ran to him from where the teacher was reassuring the other children and coaxed the boy to let go of Steve.

Things were looking bad around the area. The children were getting separated from their parents by the scared crowd. The front windows of many buildings broken as the people pushed one another. The seniors were left behind to struggle against the scared multitude. The cars turned around as people tried to get away, and some were even afire. Luke and Peter were trying to control the situation by keeping the people away from the traffic, but even with the policemen helping it was hard task.

Steve was concerned about those who had been exposed to the biological agent. He’d contacted authorities and they were trying to keep the people from spreading further into the city and instead were moving everyone to protected facilities, where they could receive first aid attention with a bio-protected personal.

“That was the last kid, Captain.” Jessica said and he nodded looking to the direction the Terrorists were at. He hoped Tony and Logan were enough to stop the terrorists for now.

“We better help Luke and Spider-Man control the crowd,” he said to Jessica, already walking toward where Luke was talking with some teenagers.

“How are things going?” Steve asked Luke, when Luke stopped talking to the teenager group.

“Not so good. Many people think this’s a mutant attack. One of those kids was there when the terrorists arrived. He said they started howling and moved strangely. I Heard some other people yelling the same thing as well.” Luke answered sounding troubled.

“That’s highly unlikely with the current mutant population.” After the M-day the mutant’s presence was almost nonexistent It was unlikely for a mutant to be behind the attack but not impossible.

“It doesn't matter if mutants did it or not, as long as people believe they did.” Jessica said from beside Steve. Steve knew she was right, if the people started believing it, things could get harsh. The last they needed now was a human/mutant war.

 _“Cap, be careful. These guys are something else. I’m not sure if they are human at all.”_ Tony’s voice came through Steve’s communicator. He sounded out of breath and there was a hint of fear in his voice. _“Two of them managed to escape. Avoid engaging them if possible!”_ There was a brief gasp and then the sound stopped.

“Iron Man? Iron Man, answer!” He swore under his breath and looked up to see Luke and Jessica staring worriedly at him.

“We have to help them.” Peter said as he dropped from above them.

“Let’s go.” Steve yelled already running toward where the terrorists had been.

They weren't even halfway there when a cloaked figure came running at them. Steve barely had time to react and protect his face with his shield from an attack. Peter tried getting the figure in midair with his web but the attacker was too fast. They all turned around to see the figure land behind them.

“Long live the Lupine!” The mysterious cloaked figure said just before he threw one of the smoke bombs right in front of them.

* * *

Tony groaned as he took Logan’s hand and the man helped him stood from the ground. Even with the Extremis his reaction hadn't been fast enough to avoid the collision with the enemy, after one of the terrorist had launched at him. Those guys were strikingly fast.

“What the hell are they anyway?” Tony asked indignantly.

“I think I just might know,” Logan said never taking his gaze away from the two terrorists in front of them. Logan seemed irritated by something, he was being more aggressive than normal, but he wasn't exactly sharing what was bugging him.

Before Tony could protest, their enemy ran at them once more. Tony adjusted the fire power of his gauntlet and fired when one of the terrorists jumped at him. They attacked one after another, giving Tony no time to avoid them. Logan though predicted the movement and was on them before they reached Iron Man.Wolverine sliced the guy’s guts open and the terrorist stepped back holding his bleeding chest and stomach.

“Damn it Wolverine. No killing!” Logan did a sound that resembled growl.

“Stop nagging. He won’t die.” Tony looked closely at terrorist and noticed that wound was already closing. It was slower than Wolverine’s healing but undoubtedly not normal

The wounded terrorist finally pulled down his hood to reveal a wolf-like face, with black eyes and grey fur. The motion made Logan growl again.

In a blink of an eye the Canadian launched himself toward the opponents, claws ready to slice flesh. He attacked the wolf guys without hesitation or hint of pity. Tony hadn't seen Logan so wild in a long time. He looked like a man out for vengeance. The attack was over as suddenly as it begun, when Logan pierced the guys’ throats with both of his claws.

“They won’t be out for long,” he said as he retracted his claws.

“What should we do with them?”

“I was talking to those guys.” Logan signaled to their left with his head, where Maria Hill and some more agents were standing a few meters away, just in front of the line of policemen. Tony frowned, Logan must had smelled them. Tony’d been too busy with the fight to notice then arriving.

“What the hell are these guys?” Maria asked kneeling in front of the two knocked out terrorists.

“What? SHIELD’s head doesn't know a werewolf when she sees one.” Maria frowned at Wolverine’s joke and looked at Tony as if asking him to answer instead.

“I don’t know but you better take them into custody before they wake up.Also two more managed to escape.” He had feeling that taking them out a second time wouldn't be as easy.

“Those two were already seized by our agents and the other Avengers. Now out of here, let us do our work.”

They didn’t need to be told about it twice. Tony grabbed Logan and launched himself into the sky, looking for one of his companions. None of the Avengers were visible from their position, but he spotted the Helicarrier and Carol flying toward it.

They landed in the Helicarrier a few seconds after Carol. She turned around at the sound and smiled when she noticed them. “Hey guys, is good to see you don’t need my help.” So Steve had called her to aid them.

“Where are the others?”

“Steve said they’re with Hank in the Helicarrier.” Tony sighed in relief. It was good to know that Hank had already arrived and that the other Avengers were with him.

“Let’s go find them.”

* * *

“How interesting," Hank said for the third time, and Steve's patience was running short. He was at the verge of yelling at Hank.

“You already said that man. Now tell us what the hell is wrong with us!” Luke snapped and Hank scowled at him.

“I don’t know yet. I’ll need to examine the sample further.” Luke gritted his teeth and Steve put a hand on his shoulder in order to stop him from hitting Hank.

“Then what’s so interesting Hank?” Steve asked.

“It seems they are using a symbiotic cell. Good news is that unlike Venom they don’t go from one host to another through the skin.” Hank showed them on the computer screen how the symbiotic cells where fusing with their original cells.

“What does it do?”

“That’s what I don’t know yet. I suppose that we will have to wait for the symptoms to show up, but don’t worry. Even if it is lethal by the speed it’s multiplying itself I've said it will take around a week for it to completely infect your bodies.” Steve sighed in annoyance. If Hank thought that was reassuring he was dead wrong.

“What about transmission?” Peter asked this time.

“The smoke from the bombs wasn't actually smoke, but thousands of micro-capsules that protected the mother cells. Without them the symbiotic cells are unable to live outside the host body. Since they’re traveling through your blood torrents, basic AIDS precaution will do until further notice.” Luke and Peter looked at each other obviously taken aback by the statement. They remained silent for a moment not sure how to feel about a the virus.

“Steve!” They turned around to see Carol entering the lab together with Logan and Tony. Steve felt a rush of relief when he saw that they were all unharmed. The engineer had the faceplate up and Steve could see that he looked more tired than before.

“Hank.” Tony greeted with a curt nod before settling beside Steve. “What’s going on?”

“We have a mix of Venom and AIDS,” Peter squealed. Tony blinked at him and then looked at Hank.

“They got infected by the terrorist. I was just explaining them what I found for now.”

“They were what?!” Tony looked at Steve alarmed. The Captain sighed and patted the man’s shoulder, trying to be reassuring.

“We were attacked by one of the terrorists just after your call.”

“Are they going to be alright?” Carol asked from her spot beside Jessica.

“I still don’t know what the virus does. So I can’t answer that yet.” Hank said shrugging.

“What’s this about Venom and AIDS?” Tony asked with a frown. Hank showed him the images on the Computer screen.

“What your armor scanned as unknown biological threat were these cells. What Peter means is that they’re being infected by these cells, which are changing their genetic structure. What they do is something I still don’t know. As you see they haven’t shown any symptoms.”

“I think I know what they are doing.” They all turned to look at Logan, who was leaning against the wall with his arm crossed and a mean frown.

“What is it Logan?” Hank said with a tone that meant he didn't believe the man would say anything useful.

“They’re creatin’ Werewolves,” he said in low dangerous voice.

Beside Steve, Tony was frowning. “ You weren't joking about those two before?”

“Those two before? Do you mean the terrorists?” Steve asked Tony but the engineer ignored him just like Wolverine.

“There’s something off about those guys’ smell. They smelled like mutants but also humans. I think the virus made ‘em werewolves.” Logan explained.

“No. Why werewolves again?” Steve asked with distress. he hadn't liked being a werewolf once; He wouldn't like being one again.

“Do you know how many people were infected?” Carol asked moving toward them.

“Too many.” Hank answered, starting to work something on his PC. “I’ll try to confirm Logan’s theory as fast as I can.”

“Do you need help with that? I can analyze Data faster than any of your computers.” Tony said tapping his forehead as if to remind Hank of Extremis.

“Tempting but no thanks. I’ll have Reed and McCoy help me. If we expect a werewolf outbreak, we’ll need people to keep the casualties as low as possible and with most of the Avengers infected we will need Iron Man to to help in the worst case scenario.” He didn't need to say it, Steve knew it.

“Then, what’s the plan?” Jessica said and Steve looked at her thinking of an answer.

“We’ll need to move all the exposed civilians to one place. We can’t afford to have them infect anyone else.” Hank nodded at his statement.

“SHIELD can handle that. As for you, we can go back to the Tower. I’ll put it on quarantine. Carol, Logan, and I can keep an eye on you guys until Hank finish the cure.” The engineer offered.

“Count me out.” Logan said as he shook his head. “This ain’t stopping until we find the culprit. Leave the hunt to me” Logan said smirking before turning to leave the room.

“There goes our third man,” Tony said in a low voice.

“He’s right you know, and there no one’s better for that job than Logan,” Steve said to Tony.

“I know, but we still need help.”

“What about Jan?” Carol asked. Hank shrugged, turning back to the screen sulking.

“I’ll contact her. I’m sure she won’t mind,” Steve answered instead. “I’ll go talk to Maria about those infected civilians.”

* * *

Steve's hand slammed the clock just before the alarm started. Steve yawned slightly as he stood from the bed, scratching the back of his neck. He started his morning routine, doing his usual warm-up exercises before taking a bath. Steve was rinsing his hair when he caught a smell in the air. It was an intriguing smell, like the smell of freshly baked bread on a cold winter day. He almost bumped into the wall following the scent. First thing he did after he changed was following the smell until he found himself walking into the kitchen.

In front of the stove was Jarvis cooking what appeared to be pancakes. The old butler looked at him surprised. “Can I help you, Master Steve?”

“Is just that…” Steve started. “the smell.”

Jarvis smelled the griddle and blinked at him. “Is there something wrong with the way the pancakes smell?” He shook his head. It was one of the most exquisite scents that he had smelled.

It started, he thought as he ran a hand through his hair in misery. Steve took a seat on one of the stools in the kitchen, Watching Jarvis as he worked his magic. Being turned into a mutant werewolf wasn't the worst that could happen, but the hundreds of civilians involved did give the situation a troublesome complexity. He sighed in frustration, knowing he wouldn't be able to help if things got out of hand.

Steve needed to clear his mind, urgently. Usually he would go running but with the lock down he couldn't. He could use the gym but he was thinking about asking Tony to spar with him. It had been a while since the last time they sparred, and Steve was eager to try how much the Extremis had enhanced Tony’s abilities.

“You seem to be lost in thought Steve.” He almost jumped off his seat at Jan’s voice. Something in the back of his mind whispered danger and his lips trembled as he fought down the urge to growl. Jan made a worried face. “Sorry, didn't mean to frighten you.”

“It’s fine. When did you arrive?”

“A moment ago, I just greeted Jarvis.” Jan frowned at him. “What’s wrong with you? It’s unusual to see you so distracted.”

“Apart from the werewolf outbreak, nothing is wrong.” Jan nodded seemingly not convinced. “I didn't expect you so soon.”

Janet smiled and looked at Jarvis. “I didn't dare arrive later and miss Jarvis’s breakfast.”

The old man chuckled. “It always is an honor to feed you, Miss. Van Dyne.”

Janet took a sit beside the blonde war veteran and ran a hand through his back, in a reassuring motion. “How are things going with the new team?”

“They’re good, but we still need to work on a few things.”

“What about Tony? I heard from Reed about the Extremis a week ago.”

Steve sighed. “He’s like a boy with a new toy. The problem is he thinks himself invincible, he takes less care of himself now.”

“That’s doesn't sounds good. He’s never taken good care of himself to begin with,” Jan said with a small frown.

_“Yes, I know and I’m sorry. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” _Steve heard Tony say in a distant voice.__

Steve frowned and looked behind expecting to see Tony speaking on his phone, but the only ones in the kitchen where Jarvis and Jan.

“Is there something wrong, Steve?”

“ Didn't you hear it, Jan?”

The fashion designer scowled at him. “Hear what, Steve?” He shushed Jan and concentrated on his hearing.

 _“Yeah, Yeah. Say hi to Happy for me.”_ Tony’s voice sounded closer now and it was accompanied by footsteps on the hardwood. Each second the steps grew closer until Tony appeared in the kitchen’s door with a sleepy face and bedhead.

“Jan!” The Golden Avenger seemed to wake up a little when he spotted the petite woman.

“Tony!” Janet stood from her seat and took a few steps toward the engineer. She threw her arm around his neck and they hugged for a few seconds. The action for some reason made Steve twitch awkwardly, as the urge to pull them apart possessed him. “It’s been so long. God, I missed you guys.”

“How was London?” Tony asked while putting Janet down.

“It was nice enough, still I prefer New York.” Tony nodded looking past Jan and then made his way to Jarvis who was already holding a cup of coffee for his employer.

“Were you talking to Pepper just now, Tony?” Steve asked finally.  
Tony nodded with a little frown. “Yeah, how did you know?”

“I heard you, before you got here.” Tony’s lips flattened into a thin line.

“It already started.” It wasn't a question but Steve nodded nonetheless. “Any other symptom?”

“Enhanced smell.”

“He’s already showing symptoms?” Jan asked, approaching Steve.

Tony nodded. “But if Hank is right it will be a few days before the serious ones appear.”

Before Janet could comment, Jessica and Carol entered the kitchen. Carol was frowning and Jessica looked like she had seen better days. She seemed tired, with dark circles under her eyes and messy hair that made her look a few years older. Carol’s frown disappeared as soon as she noticed Janet. She smiled at the Wasp and walked to her for a brief hug.

“You don’t look good Drew,” Tony said when Jessica slumped into one of the stool.

“I couldn't sleep. Too much noise,” she said, after dropping her head on the counter. “Everything is driving me mad. The creak of the bed, the dripping from the sink’s tap, the passing cars, everything.”

“I went through that when I took the serum, and then again when I had to get used to this time's noises. I’d long since grown used to it, but I know how annoying it can be,” Steve said sympathetically. Tony hummed at that and looked up. Steve frowned at this. “What is it?”

Tony blinked at him, his eyes unfocused at first. He’d been using Extremis. “That got me to wondering about the effects the serum will have together with the werewolf virus.”

“You’re not planning on going all mad scientist on us are you?” Drew asked him with a frown.

“Don’t worry, I won’t. I’ll leave that role to Reed and Hank. I’ll just have to hack their PC afterward.” The engineer answered with and mischievous smile.

“Don’t, Tony. You know how Reed is with his things, I don-”

An ear-tearing scream interrupted Steve in mid-sentence. He slapped his hands over his ears just like Jessica, feeling as if they would start bleeding. When it stopped, he looked at Tony who was looking at him, wide-eyed.

“The hell was that?”

Steve shrugged at Tony’s question and turned to look at Jan and Carol, who were looking just as surprised as them.

“I think it came from the bedrooms,” Carol said, already running to the stairs. Steve stood from his seat and ran after Carol.

When they arrived, they found Luke outside Peter’s room, banging the door. “Open the door, Peter!”

“What’s wrong Luke?” Steve said, approaching the taller man.

“Don’t know. I heard the scream from my room, but he won’t open the door.” Steve pushed the man aside and knocked on the brunet’s door.

“Are you okay, Peter?”

“No I’m not.” The young man’s voice was muffled and sounded off.

“Tell me what’s wrong.”

“I look like a sasquatch.” Steve frowned and looked at Carol, who was at his side.

“Uh, oh.” Steve turned to Tony who was walking toward them with his cup of coffee. “ I didn't think about how Peter’s arachnid powers would affect the werewolf virus.” He pushed Steve aside and leaned his forehead on the door. “Peter, you have to open the door. We need Hank to check you over.”

There was no answer but Steve could hear the rustle of clothes coming from inside the room; he hoped it meant the young man was coming out. To Steve’s relief after a while the door opened and a figure emerged from the room.

Peter, or what they assumed was him, looked like a bizarre mix of spider and Sasquatch. He had two short furry fangs coming out of his mouth, much like a spider’s fangs. His eyes were black, from the iris to the scleria. Instead of a nose, the brunet had a snout. And the rest of his body was covered by brownish thick fur, which his clothes did a poor job hiding.

Steve’s face twitched with mixed emotions at the sight of Parker and the stench of misery that clung to the young man’s skin. He heard some gasp behind him, perhaps Jan or Jessica. Tony quirked his lips in a small frown before throwing an arm around peter’s shoulders.

“Come on, Hank will fix this.” He gave Peter one of his PR smiles, to which Peter answer by lowering his head in shame. Tony’s smile faltered for just a moment before he urged Peter toward the elevator.

Everyone remained silent even after they were gone, each of them lost in thought. Steve realized that for them this was an a glimpse of what would probably happen to them. He wasn't really looking forward to the coming days.

* * *

Tony unfastened his tie as he made his way into the living room. He almost smiled when he saw Steve lying on the couch, watching the news channel. The man was already looking at him; he probably heard him coming with his new enhanced hearing. Tony let himself drop into the couch beside Steve, and sighed tiredly as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

“How’s Peter?” Steve asked him.

He looked at Steve from the side of his eyes. “Coping. He’ll stay with Hank and Reed. His early mutation will help them analyze the virus further. Besides, he wanted to stay and help.” They remained silent for a while, listening to the news description of the morning’s incident.

“I talked to Sharon. She told me SHIELD identified more than two hundred infected civilians already,” Steve said suddenly.

Tony nodded in acknowledgment. “Beast told me there was another attack in Chinatown, but the X-men stopped it from getting too big. Cyclop and Emma are interrogating the terrorists,” Tony said to Steve, with a tired voice.

“I hope Logan finds the culprit soon,” Steve said after a short pause.

“I know, we can’t have more civilians getting infected.” It was troublesome enough with the number they had now. He rubbed the bridge of his nose once again and closed his eyes tiredly.

“You look tired,” Steve said with concern.

“I’m fine.” Tony stood from the couch. “ I’ll be in my workshop if you need me.” The blond was looking at him intently, and Tony wondered if he was about to be scolded. Instead Steve nodded curtly before turning back to the TV.

Tony had so many things to do. Pepper had sent him many blueprints of prototypes he needed to review and correct. Also a lot of paperwork and the correction of the system of a satelitte his crew hadn't been able to fix. Normally it wouldn't take long for him to do all that with Extremis, but he was running on low sleep and a mild headache.

“It’ll be a long night,” he said for himself.

Tony had finished checking the blueprints and was about to start with the satellite's system when Carol entered the workshop with a plate of food. He smiled at her before rubbing the bridge of his nose, trying to soothe away his headache.

“You know, Steve's worried about you,” she said as she gave him the plate.

“Steve's always worrying about everyone. We all know he’s a mother hen.”

“While I agree that Steve’s a bit overprotective, I agree with him too: you need to rest.”

“I’ll rest, when I finish what I’m doing.”

Carol sighed in defeat and gave him a reproachful look. “Don’t spend the whole night here. If anything happens, we’ll need you to be in your best.” Tony nodded slightly, not minding her words.

After that Carol left him to eat. Tony finished his dinner quickly before resuming his work, after long the seconds blurred into minutes and the minutes into hours and before he realized it the tiredness lulled him into a dreamless sleep. He blinked slowly trying to get the blurriness out of his eyes, before he checked the time with Extremis.

**10:47 AM**

Tony cursed under his breath before standing from his chair. A blanket fell from his shoulder and he stared at it for a moment. He recognized it as one of Steve’s and he wondered when the Captain had come. He left the workshop to look for Steve and found said man on the living room talking happily to Jan. Tony walked toward them, trying to stop a yawn from escaping him.

“Morning Tony,” Janet greeted, while Steve smiled at him.

“Mornin’.” Tony passed Steve the blanket, which he took with the same smile. “Why didn't you wake me up?”

“You looked tired.” He glared at Steve, whose smile widened before he ran a hand through the engineer’s hair, which was an unusual gesture. _“He’s in a good mood,”_ Tony thought as he looked at the pleased Captain.

“Well, I’ll go find Carol,” Janet announced with a mischievous smile that made him wonder what they’d been talking about.

“I meant to ask you if you would spar with me,” Steve said after Jan was gone.

It’d been a while since they last sparred. In the past they used to do so twice a week or every time one of them needed to release some tension. It was something Tony used to look forward to. It wasn't like he would turn down an opportunity to openly stare at and touch Captain America.

“That would be nice.” Maybe it was what he needed to relax.

The blond grinned widely. “I’ll be waiting for you there after you eat your breakfast.” He was gone before Tony could protest.

* * *

More symptoms were appearing as the hours passed. Steve’s sense of smell became accurate enough for him to distinguish each smell and its provenance. Sometimes it proved to be more a liability than an advantage; like the time Jarvis used too much cleaning products, and Steve spent the day choking at the smell.

Steve’s hearing improved too. He was used enough to sleeping with noises and unlike Jessica and Luke it didn't bother him. What did bother him was how often he found himself listening to conversations he wasn't meant to hear. It went to the point in which he’d to concentrate in order to stop listening to whatever Luke was saying to his wife a floor away from Steve. Also he was becoming irritated by the constant buzzing of voices and sounds that followed him everywhere.

They were all becoming more aggressive and territorial. Once Jessica and Carol had argued about god knows what, and Jessica’d snapped at Carol, earning a surprised look from Carol as she stepped back. They apologized to each other that night, but afterward everyone was cautious of being the focus of the infected Avengers’ temper.

Two days after the attack he found himself in a dominance battle with Luke. He didn't remember well how it started but he knew it ended: with Steve growling at Luke with bared teeth and Luke lowering his gaze before releasing the remote control. Tony made fun of them saying that Steve was officially the pack’s alpha male. Steve hadn't found it amusing, mostly because he hadn't been able to control himself. He hadn't really meant to start a fight with Luke, he just suddenly felt the urge to claim what was his and to demonstrate he was the one in charge.

That was why Steve made a habit of sparring with Tony and Luke, it was a way of releasing aggression and relaxing himself. It was something he needed and loved. Luke probably needed it just as much, Steve could tell by the satisfaction in the man’s eyes after each spar. He also felt closer to the man each time they fought each other.

On the other hand Tony was becoming a part of his troubles. Steve hadn't noticed it at first but it became too obvious by their third spar. Tony smelled really good, in a mixture of metal, coffee, expensive colognes and the man’s own scent. It was the kind of fragrance that he could smell for hours without getting tired of it. It drove Steve crazy each time they spared and sometimes he found himself more stressed after their sparring session than before them. Even so he couldn't bring himself to stop sparring with his old friend, he yearned seeing the man flustered and breathy, yearned smelling the sweat on his skin and the touch of his warm body.

It was an addiction that could cost him one of his most valuable friendships.

Tony was at the moment sitting to his right, absently sipping his coffee, stopping from time to time to yawn. He inhaled deeply, trying to separate Tony’s smell from the others odor that surrounded him, taking in as much as he could of the exquisite fragrance. Carol looked at him funny from across the table as she took a bite of her breakfast.

“Why so happy, Cap?” Carol asked with a smile.

He shrugged and tried to hide his smile by bringing the cup to his lips. Tony looked to him as if trying to see what Carol was talking about. A small lock of hair fell on his face, and Steve had to fight the urge to brush it away.

At his left, Luke snorted. He instinctively glared at the taller man, before turning back to Tony. “Are you ready to spar?”

“Give me a second.” The Golden Avenger leaned into the table and grabbed a donut from Carol’s plate, before sprinting away from the dining room.

“Give it back, you thief!” Carol yelled after him, but didn't make any attempt to recover the stolen donut. Steve laughed and followed Tony outside and found him in front of the elevator eating Carol’s donut.

“She won’t forget about that donut.”

“I don’t fear Ms. Marvel.”

“Sometimes I do. She can be fearsome,” he said while entering the elevator and Tony chuckled.

They remained silent for the rest of the way up. The enclosed space made Steve hyper-aware of Tony. It was a trial of patience and self-control, Steve had to contain himself from jumping at his friend. He was glad when they arrived at the gym.

Both man changed into their sparring clothes and took their positions. Steve was the first one to rush in action, he went to grab Tony but the man moved aside and tried to connect a punch. Steve was faster than him and leaned back dodging the fist. He grabbed Tony’s arm before the man could retract it and threw his friend onto the mat. Tony was up in an instant already alert for any attack. They continued then, speeding the rhythm as the minutes passed. An hour later Tony was drenched in a coat of sweat, panting lightly with reddened cheeks.

They startled circling each other, Tony already tired of playing on Steve’s term. He could almost see the ideas passing behind the engineer’s eyes as he plotted way’s to beat the soldier. Steve saw the moment Tony got distracted in slow motion.

Steve saw Tony’s eyes look at his side for a brief second, his shoulder relaxed almost imperceptible at the same time the smell of aggression coming of the businessman decreased. He was on Tony in an instant. Tony’s reaction was fast but not fast enough, as he tried to defend himself by bringing his arms to his front his body, and instead ended up with both wrists being held by one of Steve’s hands. The genius surprised him when he threw all his weight back, making the blond lose his balance. The captain landed on Tony, still holding his wrists. Steve shifted his body so he would immobilize the shorter man without putting too much weight on him.

“Yield,” he growled in a rush of adrenaline when Tony tested his grip.

The dark-haired man let his head fall down. “I surrender,” he said, still gasping.

Steve smiled with satisfaction and laid there catching his breath for a moment. Then, without the fight to distract him, he realized just how strong Tony’s smell was from that distance. He felt his mouth go dry, and he stared at a sweat drop that traveled across the man’s reddened face. He was overwhelmed by the desire to taste the man and claim Tony as his.

He leaned down and pressed his lips against the sweat drop on Tony’s cheek . Steve moved his lips away from his friend’s cheek just enough to lick his lips, and he shivered a he tasted the sweat with his enhanced palate. His gaze then fell on the engineer’s lips and he pressed a kiss there, sweeping his tongue over the man’s lower lip before biting lightly. Tony gasped before he pressed his lips more firmly against Steve’s.

What started as a moment of madness turned into a heated kiss, with tongues and teeth that made Steve want Tony even more. He let himself enjoy the taste of Tony’s mouth, before he broke the kiss to burrow his face in the man’s neck, biting and nipping without mercy as his hand roamed under Tony’s sweat-soaked t-shirt.

“I love your smell,” he growled against his friend’s neck.

Tony whimpered, bringing a hand to grab blond strands. “Steve.” His voice was low with need.

He kissed Tony’s chin, enjoying the scratch of his goatee before capturing the shorter man’s lips again in a more heated kiss.

“Oh, god.” Steve turned his head to look at the source of the voice, and found Jan gaping at them in front of the elevator. He couldn't stop himself from baring his teeth and growling at Jan, her presence wasn't welcomed. The small woman stepped back, surprised by the blond’s reaction. “Look, I’m sorry but there’s something we need to talk about. Come upstairs when you are ready.” Jan’s surprise was already gone but she was blushing brightly. She turned around quickly and returned to the elevator.

With Jan gone Steve was left to wonder what had gotten into him. Steve sighed and let his forehead touch the floor. He was split between wanting to remain atop of Tony and wanting to get apart from him. The blond looked at his friend and found him looking away. Tony was blushing. It was probably the first time Steve had seen the man truly blushing. It only made him want to nuzzle the engineer. When Tony turned to look at him he wasn't smiling, he looked openly uncertain.

“What’s wrong?”

“What are we doing, Steve?” He asked slowly.

Steve frowned. “What do you mean? Don’t you want this?” he asked, starting to panic, because he didn’t know if he could bear losing Tony. The man was his partner, his friend, his guide, someone he could lean on, so many things for Steve to lose him.

“What, no. I...” Tony scowled, and for a moment he looked like he wanted to lean into Steve. “What about Sharon?” he asked instead.

“We aren’t together.”

“I know, but you still like her," Tony accused with what could only be called a pout.

“Yes, but that doesn't mean I like you any less,” Steve said while caressing his friend’s lower lip with his thumb. There was something satisfying and relaxing about seeing his friend’s kiss-bruised lips and smelling Steve’s scent on him. It was a way of telling everyone that Tony was his, that they weren't allowed to touch him.

“Since when do you like me?” Tony sounded as if he didn't believe Steve at all.

“Since years ago. Sometime after knowing you were Iron Man. Sometime between spars and battles, and trying to save you from yourself.” That seemed to undo Tony’s protest even if he still looked uncertain. “Let’s go find Jan. We can talk afterward.” He stood from the floor and offered his hand to Tony. His friend took it without hesitation.

“I’m…” The genius started, looking somewhat hesitant, which was something new to Steve. “I’m going to kiss you”

His fingers caressed his friend’s cheeks as Tony pressed a kiss on his lips. It was short and gentle, and had nothing of the need they had felt before, but it was enough to make Steve shiver in arousal. Tony smelled too good and felt too wonderful against Steve’s skin.

They parted just enough to catch their breath and Steve enjoyed the feeling of Tony’s hot breath over his lips. “Let’s go,” he said reluctantly. There wasn't anything he would like more than to stay there kissing Tony all day, but they had other matters to attend.

“Right,” Tony said while stepping apart.

They took the elevator and that time was just as maddening at the first, more so now that Steve was allowed to touch the other man. Steve didn't allow himself to touch his friend though. He knew once he started he wouldn’t be able to stop, the need to claim the man had grown to much.

When they arrived at the conference room, everyone was reunited in front of a big screen were Hank, beast, and Reed were talking. “What’s going on now?” Tony asked, frowning, while making his way to the front.

“We have a situation,” Henry McCoy said, and Steve wondered when they would get any good news. “We received word from Logan.”

“He found the culprit?” Steve asked and Beast nodded.

“The culprit is a mutant named Maximus Lobo. He's also the genetic parent of the virus.”

“But there’s some bad news?” Luke asked from behind Steve.

Beast nodded and continued. “Lobo is still running free, and Logan can’t find his whereabouts. He also learned that the virus was made so that the full moon would activate the final mutation, which is tomorrow.”

Steve couldn't suppress a growl of frustration. “ Wasn't the virus supposed to take a week to activate?”

Hank nodded. “Under the virus normal progression, yes it would. But by tomorrow the virus would have infected you enough to allow the forced mutation to trigger.”

“What about the cure?” Carol asked with an anxious tone.

“Thanks to Peter’s early mutation we have progressed enough to isolate the virus, but the final cure won’t be ready in time,” Reed answered them with a grim face.

Tony sighed tiredly at Steve’s side and the blond squeezed his arm softly. “What do you want us to do?” the engineer asked finally.

“You’ll need to be prepared for the worst. Lobo’s mutation makes him every inch a horror movie werewolf. Tomorrow night Downtown’s streets will be filled with wild werewolves looking for their leader. Logan believes Lobo will appear to lead the mutated civilians against the humans,” Hank answered.

“I already talked to Cyclop. The X-men, SHIELD, and the Fantastic Four will help control the civilians that hadn’t been contained until we finish the cure. You’re to remain with the Avengers and stop them from adding to the situation.” Beast added.

“Thanks, we’ll be prepared,” Steve said before turning off the screen. When he turned everyone was looking worried.

“I should have been helping with the cure,” Tony said in a guilty voice and Steve frowned.

“Don’t even think this is your fault.” Tony looked away when Steve touched his arm, with a grimace that said he was thinking just what Steve said. “You've helped enough, and we need you here.”

“I know,” he said indignantly, looking close to pouting.

“What’s the plan then?” Luke asked suddenly.

“I can make a room to contain you. I think Carol and Jan should go help the others. At this point I think I’m enough to keep you guys from causing trouble,” Tony said with a distant look.

“Are you sure you don’t need our help?” Carol asked.

“The containment room and me should be enough. They need you more than we do.”

“That sounds like fair plan,” Steve said looking at Tony. “Do you need help building it?”

Tony nodded lightly. “I’ll have Pepper deliver the materials we need, we can start working as soon as they arrive.”

“I’ll be in my room if you need me then,” Luke said before leaving the room.

“You should go rest too, we’ll need our strength tomorrow.” Steve said to the others.

Jessica and Carol nodded before leaving the room without another word. Jan remained behind looking at them curiously. “I’m sorry for interrupting before,” Jan said shyly.

Tony shrugged not looking at Jan. “It was our fault, anyone could have entered to the gym.”

Jan smiled lightly. “I don’t know what made you two finally act, but let me tell you that you got all the Avengers’ support. I’m happy you finally did something about your feelings.”

“What do you mean by all the Avengers?” Steve asked at the same time Tony asked. “You knew we liked each other?”

“You two aren't as discreet as you think. We knew it all along. Clint even did a betting pool once.” She smiled sadly when she mentioned Clint’s name. Talking about Clint was still a sore spot for everyone.

“And I bet he won,” Tony whispered, more for himself than for them.

“I hope you don’t really need our help,” Jan said, and she ran a hand down Tony’s arm before continuing. “But if you need our help again don’t hesitate to ask.”

* * *

Tony licked his kiss-bruised lips and imagined he could still taste Steve’s mouth. He always said that Peter had the worst timing, but it seemed Steve’s was way worse. In the middle of a werewolf outbreak wasn't the best time to reveal you've been attracted to your best friend for over ten years.

“What are you smiling about?” He opened his eyes to see Steve entering the workshop, while looking at him with an arched brow.

“Your timing is worse than Peter’s.”

“No one’s timing is worse than Peter’s,” Steve insisted as he took a seat on the couch beside Tony. “Did you call Pepper?”

“Yes, she said the materials will be here in eight hours.”

Steve nodded. “That’s good.”

“Have you talked to Sharon again? How’s SHIELD dealing with the civilians?”

“I talked to her a few minutes ago. They found a guy selling drugs infected with the virus. They’re trying to track down as many infected people as they can but it’s obvious that tomorrow there still be infected civilians out there. They also started moving the ones they identified into a place that can withstand their transformation tomorrow.”

Tony sighed, That’s not what he’d expected to hear. “How comes everyone, but us, knew we liked each other,” Tony said, changing the topic to something less sour.

“Sometimes those things happen.”

“Why didn't you say anything before?” He still couldn't believe it was true. After a decade of liking the man it was hard to accept that it was mutual.

“I--I didn't want to lose our friendship. To tell the truth, I never thought you liked men, and there was Sharon, and you had Rumiko.” He grimaced at the mention of Ru. It was still an open wound to him; some nights he dreamed of her dying in his arms. “Why didn't you say anything?”

Because Steve was too important to him, and he’d never wanted to put his friendship in danger. And because of a million other reasons, he didn't want to share.

“I don’t know,” he said after a while.

“Liar. You’re beating yourself up over it.” He looked at Steve and found him frowning. He smiled at how much the Avengers' leader knew him. It was a wonder he hadn't realized Tony liked him.

“It doesn't matter now, does it?” The blond shook his head.

“Come here.” Steve extended one arm to him, and Tony got closer to him leaning into Steve’s hug. “Do you want to date me?”  
Tony laughed because he should be the one asking that. “Of course, Winghead.”

Steve smiled and kissed Tony in the lips. He adjusted his position to have better access to the Captain’s mouth. He deepened the kiss, sucking at Steve’s tongue, and the blond hummed contentedly. They kissed for a while, hungry for each other, years of desire finally catching up to them.

Steve broke the kiss in favor of biting at Tony’s neck. “I love your smell, Shellhead.” He growled, beginning to sound as desperate as the last time they kissed.

Tony would have laughed at his old nickname, but he moaned instead when Steve ran his tongue on the hollow behind his ear. Steve moved so he was facing Tony and pushed his shoulder so that the engineer was resting his back on the couch. Steve looked wild, panting with messy hair and dilated pupils that made his eyes look black.

Steve leaned down and pressed another kiss on Tony’s mouth, starting to buck his hips against Tony’s. “I want you,” he said with need so strong that it was almost painful to hear.

“I know.” He’d been aware of it since their encounter in the gym. Tony knew that the virus was making Steve restless and it probably became worse as the time passed. He’d noticed Steve fighting himself, fighting his urges and his needs.

“I won’t be able to stop.” Steve admitted, while rubbing his cheek against Tony’s neck.

“It’s ok, we have time until the materials arrive,” he encouraged Steve by bucking his hips against the soldier’s growing arousal.  
Steve’s answer was a growl, and then he kissed Tony, wet and messy. “Mine,” he said against Tony’s lips.

* * *

“When did that happen?”

Tony groaned at the sound of the offending voice and opened his eyes only to have them closed again. He was lying on something warm and solid. He burrowed his face in it, not wanting to be awake just yet.

“Yesterday,” another voice answered.

“How come I didn't realize it?” Said the first voice.

“Can you two be quiet?” the person under Tony said, the vibrations of his voice made the engineer more awake, and whoever was talking went silent instantly. He whined in pain as he tried to stand. His lower back was killing him. A hand he hadn't noticed before, started caressing his back, and he opened his eyes to see Steve smiling up at him. “Morning.”

He sighed and let his head drop into Steve’s chest again, enjoying the warm coming from the blond man’s body. Steve chuckled and kissed the top of his head.

“Not to intrude but we are leaving,” said the first voice, who now Tony recognized as Carol.

He looked at his side and found Carol and Jan looking at them Tony nodded in acknowledgement.

“It’s ok, we’ll be alright,” Steve said.

“Are you sure you can finish that before tonight?” Jan asked pointing toward the pile of materials and the started structure of the room.

“Yes I’m sure. Now go help someone who needs it.” Tony answered, motioning with his hand for them to leave.

“Take care guys,” Jan said, walking to the elevator.

“Good, luck and about time you two got together,” said Carol before leaving the room.

* * *

The rest of the day went by fast. Tony finished the room on time with the help of the remaining Avengers. By the time it started to get dark the infected Avengers were inside the containment room.

“What time is it?” Jessica asked unhappily.

“Six, forty-five,” Tony answered from his position in front of the room. He was checking on them through the cameras inside each of the containment cells. “It won’t be long now.”

They remained silent for a long while, as Tony continued watching the Avengers.  
He was looking at Steve’s cell when the blond started to scream in agony. The other infected Avengers voices joined Steve’s, almost immediately.

The transformation wasn't far from what Tony imagined. The Avengers molted their skin as fur replaced it, and their skulls reshaped until they resembled more a wolf’s than a human’s. They grew claws as sharp as steel, and each time they blinked their eyes lost a bit of their humanity, eyes becoming darker and wilder, until they were completely red.

It seemed like ages when it finally stopped. Tony remained calmed waiting for them to move. When Steve looked up, he wondered if there was anything left of his friend there.

The blond sniffed the air and howled. Jessica and Luke added their howl to Steve’s. When they stopped howling they started hitting the metal plate that separated them from Tony. He stepped back unconsciously and Steve growled from within the cell, as if he’d seen Tony moving.

They continued ramping against the metal plates. Tony closed his eyes and sighed. “I’m sorry guys.” He was now sure they wouldn't break the metal plates, he’d made sure with the sensors he put between the steel. With the Avengers safe and away from trouble he had no reason to remain there.

Tony made his way to the elevator and it creaked under the weight of the armor. Once he was in the rooftop he jumped out of the tower. Outside the werewolves were ramping free, they were attacking anyone or anything in their way. He saw some SHIELD agents fighting the mutated civilians. He spotted Johnny Storm circling a group of werewolves, keeping them trapped. He even saw Scott and Emma keeping a group of them occupied.

He flew toward Maria Hills that was trying to keep two werewolves away from her. He landed in front of her and shot the two beast with his repulsor beam.

“Weren't you supposed to keep an eye on the Avengers, Stark?” Maria asked not looking surprised of seeing him there.

“The Avengers are secured. What’s the situation?”

More werewolves were coming at them and Maria shot twice at one on Tony’s right. “The city’s under lock down and the infected people that were moved to secured facilities are being kept away. The rest of us have to keep these ones busy and away from the rest of the civilians until the cure is ready.”

Tony nodded as he fired another one that was coming to them. “What about Lobo?”

“Wolverine’s still tracing him down. Now distract them while I shoot,” she ordered with a frown.

Tony moved and tried to get the attention of the two he had attacked before. They ran at him and he wrestled them, giving Maria time to shoot. He realized she was using sedative darts instead of bullets when the werewolf Maria shot started slowing down until he fell face first into the floor.

“Great keep doing that. They move too fast and I've wasted enough darts already. The night is young Stark,” Maria said in a mocking tone. He smirked under the faceplate and moved to distract another one for Maria.

It was about two in the morning when Jan flew to them. His muscles had started aching from trying to overpower the werewolves and Maria had to reload her gun twice already.

Jan flew around him in her wasp size. “I’ll take that you finished the containment room on time.” Tony nodded while running toward another incoming werewolf. “I have good news, Hank called. They finished the cure. They're mass producing it now. He said Beast will be here with the first batch in an hour.”

“That’s good.” He laughed in relief. He’d been getting worried about the non super-powered individuals. Tony and many others could fight for a long time but the agents and policemen keeping the werewolves at bay would soon get tired and ineffective.

“Tell them to send some darts with the cure too. They don’t remain sedated for long.” Maria shouted as she shot the one Tony was holding down.

“I’ll tell them,” Jan agreed. “I’ll bring you some darts and the cure for the Avengers as soon as Beast gets here.”

“Thanks Jan.” They kept going for another hour, in which Tony saw Maria grow more tired. When Jan got back to them with the cure and the darts, they were both a little too happy to see her.

“These are for the Avengers. Bring them as soon as you can. We still need to hold them back until they're all cured. The policemen can’t keep going,” Jan said, handing him a pack of syringes filled with a white liquid.

Tony grabbed the syringes from Jan’s hand and flew away without another word. As he flew over the city he saw that the Werewolves had gained ground. The super-powered individuals were doing their best to keep them busy but they were too many and too resilient. It was good that the cure hadn't arrived any later.

When Tony arrived at his workshop, the Avengers had finally calmed and were lying on the floor of the cells. When they noticed he was back they grew restless again and started hitting the steel plates. He opened Jessica’s cell first. She launched at him at once and Tony wrestled her, injecting her with the cure in the first chance he got. Jessica retracted back howling in pain and started to change back in a corner of the cell. Tony repeated the process with Luke with the same results. When he got to Steve’s cell he was surprised when the man didn't attack him and instead approached him cautiously and nuzzled the armor.

Tony laughed not believing it. “Good boy,” he said while patting Steve’s head just before injecting him.

The man pushed him away and started to change just like the others. This time Tony waited for the transformation to complete. He watched Steve as his fur fell from his body, and his skull and skeleton reverted back to a human one. Steve remained silent in the floor, breathing slowly for a while but then he looked up at Tony with tired blue eyes.

“Tony?” Steve asked in a hoarse voice.

He let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. “Welcome back.” Tony smiled. “How do you feel about kicking some werewolves asses?”

* * *

**Epilogue**

**Incoming call from Pepper Potts…**

Tony groaned at the insistent buzz in the back of his head. Steve huffed behind him, sending a shiver through the engineer’s naked body, and shifted him closer until his lips were touching Tony’s neck. He moved even closer to the Captain’s warmth under the bedsheets, trying really hard to ignore the buzzing but failing at it.

**Incoming call from Pepper Potts…**

He sighed in defeat and let the call through. _“Can you explain why I had to learn about your relationship with Captain Rogers from today’s newspaper?”_

He almost groaned at Pepper's reproachful tone. It hadn't even been a day and they were already nagging him about it.

“It just happened yesterday, Pep. And I’m too tired to be having this conversation now,” he answered through Extremis.

 _“I can’t believe you finally got together. Who took the first step? I bet it was him.”_ Now he groaned.

“Not you too.”

_“By the way Happy sends his congratulations and wishes you a successful relationship.”_

**Incoming call from Rhodey…**

“I have to close Pepper. Rhodey is calling.” He closed the line before she could protest.

_“You son of a bitch. Why didn't you tell me about Captain America?”_

“For God’s sake, not you too Rhodey,” he said frustrated of being repeated the same thing over and over again.

_“That’s why you were so eager to start the Avengers again isn't?”_

“Wha—No you got it wrong Rhodey.”

The bastard laughed. _“Look I don’t care who you are with, but if he hurts you I won’t care if he is the embodiment of the American spirit.”_

Tony smiled at that. “I get it. I’ll tell him you said hi and congratulations.”

_“Ah, don’t worry I’ll have my words with him. I’ll only ask you another thing.”_

“What?”

_“Werewolves really?”_

Tony laughed. “Believe me, you don’t want to know.”

_“Fair enough. Well I’m off.”_

**Connection ended**

“Having a busy day?” He turned to face Steve and found him smiling earnestly at him.

“You wouldn’t believe.” He rested his head in the man’s chest. “Pepper, Happy, and Rhodey send their regards.”

“Already?” He chuckled. “Do I need to be scared?”

Tony hummed, thinking it over. “Maybe of Pepper. I am sometimes.”

“It’s ok. I don’t mind fighting them for you,” Steve said, before kissing Tony, and the engineer hoped the kiss would lead them to some awesome morning sex.

To his dismay someone knocked their door before anything happened. “Hey guys, I hope I’m not interrupting or anything but Jarvis says lunch is ready,” said Peter with a muffled voice from behind the door.

Tony groaned. “You win, Peter has the worst timing ever.”


End file.
